Solihull's suburbs will be changed forever if planners do not take a stand against garden grabbing, a local campaigner has said.

Fiona Somerville, of Alderbrook Road, has been marshalling opposition against the latest scheme to build on rear gardens in her street.

She said that the glut of applications placed considerable strain on those residents keeping a constant eye on Solihull Council's planning portal.

"We live in fear. It is extremely stressful for local residents," said Ms Somerville, who has lived in the road for 25 years.

(Image: Fiona Somerville)

"It's not just the residents close to the development and all the residents around ... Everybody else is terrified that we are going to have even more developments."

The latest controversy in the street - which is among the oldest in the borough - surrounds a scheme which would see No 23 completely demolished and rebuilt and four more detached dwellings erected on land to the rear.

Another property would be extended and almost 30 trees would be removed.

More than 400 people had signed a petition against the plans, which follow on from a previous set of proposals being thrown out by councillors last year. Ms Somerville has argued that the application should have been dismissed at submission stage, on the basis that it "ignores" the previous grounds for refusal.

With several similar schemes brought forward in recent years - some successful and others dismissed - she said there was "no let up" for those living in the borough's mature suburbs.

"It's important we stick together and we do come together and fight these ludicrous planning applications."

Earlier this month, a separate back garden development, in nearby Stonor Park Road, was rejected by Solihull's planning committee. Although a couple of councillors told the packed committee room that this type of scheme was going to become increasingly commonplace.

Cllr Glenis Slater, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "Back garden developments are not popular but we have them and we're going to have them and they're going to stay and we're going to get more and more of them, I think, over the years."

Cllr Peter Hogarth (Con, Silhill), who was also sat on the committee, argued that members should take heed of local people's concerns.

"To me it seems as though anything like this is 'carte blanche' for agreement, but in my eyes it's not."

Ms Somerville warned that if the trend continues, communities would be stripped of their character and Solihull would go from being "a very desirable place to live" to "a metropolis."

In the planning statement for the most recent Alderbrook Road plans, Tyler Parkes planning consultancy maintains that the application would create new homes in a "sustainable" location.

"Generally the residential development in the area between Alderbrook Road to the north and Blossomfield Road to the south is characterised by various cul-de-sac developments without a rigid development pattern," it said.

The item, which was originally due to be heard at the August planning committee, but was withdrawn on the eve of the meeting, is now scheduled for a future decision session.